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snail mail

I'm a huge fan of snail mail (may have mentioned that before...) Receiving a letter or post card has a way of really brightening the day, and sending them is an excellent way to stay in touch and get some writing practice in. One of the best things that has happened since I graduated is the constant cycle of mail amongst our close circle of college friends (who have dispersed to San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, and the GAMBIA.) Sure, we swap email, but we swap mail-mail too!

(Vintage post card+ port-o-potty humor = wish I had an original copy of this!) Photo courtesy of howieluvzus

I think getting a little writing practice in has huge benefits- particularly when you're writing by hand and really thinking about the words you are choosing. Writing is an increasingly important skill- these days, a lot of people communicate almost exclusively via email, and bad punctuation is akin to poor manners. Ironically, writing skills, on the whole, are going downhill. I cannot tell you how many poorly composed emails and blog posts I come across on a daily basis.

My point? Find yourself a stamp and send someone a letter, the old-fashioned way. You'll benefit from writing the letter, and you'll be spreading a little joy while you're at it. You never know, too- that person might just send some joy back to you!